Ashima's Prince Charming
by Emerald Omen
Summary: Thomas knows he will only be in India for so long, and he wants to tell Ashima how he feels before he has to leave. But how? When would the time be right, and how would he know what to say? Perhaps a little happening at the Monkey Palace might be the key to a smooth pickup line? Coverart and original idea by MaddGirlz3761 over on DeviantART.


Thomas chuffed heavily as he wearily made his way back to his temporary shed that night. The heat was tremendous, and after a full day of work and adventure, he wanted nothing more than to have a good nights sleep, and hope for cooler temperatures tomorrow.

He had been in India for a little while now, and this day had to be one of the hottest on record. He had run all over today, starting with a load of coconuts for the locals to drink, but then when Rajiv told him to stay away from a mysterious place called the "Monkey Palace" his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he went exploring.

His adventure had almost cost him a fair bit, as he had ended up losing the load of coconuts during his exploration, and Charubala had not been pleased when he arrived without them. But with the help of one of his new monkey friends, he found new ones, and got them delivered in the end.

He was mostly happy he had _not_ listened to Rajiv's warning, because he now had a bunch of new monkey friends who seemed to like him quite a bit.

Thomas smiled to himself as he imagined himself as the king of the monkey palace. It certainly would be an interesting position, that's for sure.

His smile faded as he imagined himself sitting in the old castle, surrounded by monkeys. Suddenly, he envisioned Ashima by his side, and the monkeys loving her just as much as the did him.

After all, a king needs a queen to rule with.

Thomas's chuffing slowed as his thoughts turned to the brightly painted Nilgiri Mountain X Class. Ever since he had met her at the Great Railway Show, actually a little before, he had found it extremely difficult to stop thinking about her.

Her hot pink paintwork, her multitude of small blue wheels, her beautiful whistle, her brilliant headlamp, and her eye catching cowcatcher. Not to mention her face... big, beautiful eyes, a lovely set of perky, tender lips, and perfect nose, and her beautiful voice.

Thomas slowed more as he imagined Ashima before him, gazing into his eyes.

_"Oh Thomas, why don't you be honest with yourself? You love me, and you know it. Let me kiss you, and spend my nights with you. I will make your worst days your best ones, and your best ones better. Say you love me, Thomas. Say it..."_

Thomas jerked to a sudden stop as his mind started to get the better of him. He looked around, blushing to himself, before puffing forwards again. He knew it better than anyone. He was in love with Ashima. Everything about her was simply perfect, but he hadn't ever told her of his feelings. Besides the fact that the thought of doing so terrified him, he wouldn't know how to say it, or when the time would be right. So, he just admired her silently, always hoping to catch even a glimpse of her during the day.

She had her own jobs to do, and was often to busy to talk, although she would happily chat with him whenever she had the chance.

Thomas sighed as he reversed into his two track shed, before releasing his pent up steam.

"What am I going to do?" he muttered to himself. He would only be in India for so long, and then he would be off to other parts of the world. He wanted to tell her before he left, even though that notion seemed pointless. Thomas didn't live in India, and even if Ashima returned his feelings, they would scarcely see each other.

But that just meant the sooner he confessed to her, the more time they might have to enjoy each other's presence... if she felt the same way. She probably didn't.

Ashima had lived in India her entire life, surely she had her eye on an engine that already lived in India. Probably Rajiv, if anyone. He was such a splendid engine, always clean, and good looking. He could be annoying, and often got full of himself, but his looks alone would probably make Ashima swoon.

Thomas frowned at the thought. He had never felt this way about an engine before, and the thought of Ashima being with Rajiv annoyed him to no end.

"What's got you so grumpy?" a voice asked, breaking Thomas's train of thought. He looked up, and gasped. Ashima was sitting before him on the parallel track, smiling at him gently. She always smiled... and it always made her even more beautiful.

"A-Ashima? What are you doing here?" Thomas asked, blushing as she puffed closer, before turning around on a small turn table, and reversing into his shed next to him. It was a smaller shed, and it was a tight fit between the two of them. Ashima was merely inches from Thomas. He could feel the heat coming from her boiler...

"My shed is being cleaned, so I had to find another place to sleep tonight. You do not mind if I stay with you, do you?" she asked, looking at him with her bright shining eyes. Thomas shuddered as he began to lose his composure.

"Oh... well... uh... s-sure, I guess..." he stuttered, before frowning.

_Real smooth._ He thought to himself. Ashima giggled softly, before tucking herself into the shed fully, sidling up to Thomas the rest of the way.

"I appreciate it. It might actually get a little chilly tonight, so the extra warmth will be nice." she said. Thomas chuckled, setting on the topic of the weather to talk about.

"Chilly? After today? Is that even _possible_?" he asked.

"Oh yes! Once the sun goes down, the temperature can drop quickly! It doesn't always, but it can. It doesn't hurt to have a sleeping buddy to keep each other warm, or else neither engine might get enough sleep to be really useful the next day!" she said. Thomas nodded.

"You're right, I suppose. After the day I've had, I need a good nights sleep." he said. Ashima smiled.

"Well then, I'll let you get to sleep. See you in the morning, Tommy." she said, before closing her eyes.

Thomas felt his face heat up at her obvious nickname she had started calling him. The first time he heard her say it, he had immediately decided he didn't like the name, but he said nothing. Overtime, though, he began to warm up to it, and now got flustered every time she would say it.

Thomas looked at the engine next to him, studying her features slowly.

Her quiet breathing filled the near silence, and Thomas looked down at the tracks in front of him, deep in thought. Ashima would be with him the entire night. They had never had so much time together before, alone at that.

Perhaps... this would be a good time to try and tell her?

He nervously looked back up at Ashima, and startled a little when he realized she was looking at him.

"Gah!" he said, jerking slightly. Ashima giggled at his reaction.

"Having trouble sleeping?" she asked. Thomas nodded.

"You could say that." he said. Ashima sighed.

"I myself am not very tired, at least not yet. Do you have any stories to tell from your day today? Maybe it could help both of us." she suggested. Thomas thought about the Monkey Palace. That could be a funny story to tell her. He smiled.

"Sure! I can tell you about my visit to the Monkey Palace today." he said. Ashima gasped.

"You went to the Monkey Palace? Didn't Rajiv warn you about that place? The monkeys can be _very_ mischievous." she exclaimed. Thomas smirked.

"He did, but my curiosity got the better of me. The monkeys weren't that bad. They actually helped me in the end. I ended up losing my load of coconuts, and when I went back, they helped me get new ones!" he said. Ashima looked dumbfounded.

"But... they've _never_ been helpful before. Usually they try and play tricks on us engines, or block the tracks so we cannot pass through. Why would they have been so nice to you?" she asked.

"I don't know." he said. Ashima smiled.

"Well, what did you think of the palace? It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked. Thomas nodded.

"It was amazing! I'm glad I didn't listen to Rajiv. I would have hated to miss a place like that! The way the monkeys seemed to like me, with any luck, I could have been their King! King of the Monkey Palace!" he exclaimed. Ashima giggled at his outburst.

"I'm sure you would have made an excellent King, but at least you got the job done in the end." she said. Thomas blushed at Ashima's praise.

"You... really think I would have been a good King?" he asked timidly. Ashima nodded.

"Of course! A good king tries to help everyone, and does his best to keep everyone happy. You helped everyone by correcting your mistake, and delivering those coconuts to the station so people could have something to drink. That's very admirable." she said.

"I also had a small monkey come along with me, so I went back and returned him to his home. He was very cute, but I knew he didn't belong with me. He had a family to go home to." Thomas said. Ashima smiled.

"You'd make a fine King, Thomas. The monkeys would be lucky to have you." she said, closing her eyes. It seems Thomas's story had relaxed her, and she was finally ready to get some sleep.

_No! Not yet, I haven't told her how I feel yet! But how could I..._ Thomas suddenly smiled a little as he got an idea. He looked over at the Indian tank engine, and mustered up his courage, before he finally forced himself to speak.

"I may not have been able to be their king... but..." he paused as Ashima opened her eyes again, and looked at him, waiting for him to finish what he had to say. Thomas stiffened as he finished the sentence.

"M-Maybe I could... be _your_ Prince Charming?" he asked, his face as red as James's paintwork. Ashima's eyes widened at his words, and a heavy blush rose to her face. Thomas looked at her, and then down at the ground in shame. She was probably determining whether to flee, or stay in the shed.

"Oh Thomas... a-are you asking me out?" she asked, her pink blush matching her paint. Her eyes twinkled in the moonlight as she looked at Thomas.

"I-If you're willing to forgive me... for the way I treated you back when we first met... yes. I like you, Ashima. More than I've ever like anyone before. You're the most beautiful engine I've ever met, and the kindest." Thomas said, finally rallying the courage to look at Ashima. Ashima smiled sweetly, her adorable blush still present.

"Oh Thomas... _of course_ I forgive you for the way you acted. I know you were upset about not getting to go to the railway show, and then I..." Ashima's words suddenly caught in her throat as her eyes widened. After a moment, she shuddered, and looked at Thomas with a horrified expression.

"I almost killed you..." she said softly, her eyes watering slightly. Thomas felt terrible now. This certainly wasn't going the way he had been hoping for.

"Ashima, you didn't... it was my fault, if anyone's. I was on the wrong track, and I wasn't aware of my surroundings. It wasn't your fault." he said. He leaned against her in the tight confines of the small shed as a few tears ran down Ashima's face.

"I never would have forgiven myself if I had pushed you into the Ocean. I never would have gotten to meet you. And that would be terrible." she said, nuzzling into Thomas's side. The two were quiet for a few minutes, before Thomas realized she hadn't actually answered his question.

"So... was that a yes, or a no?" he asked quietly. Ashima giggled quietly, and looked up at him.

"Of course you can be my Prince Charming silly. I've been _waiting_ for you to ask for so long. I was starting to think you never would. Ever since... ever since you let me win in the shunting challenge, I realized that you are a very noble engine, but by the time I realized what I felt... I was already on the ship home. Imagine my surprise when you showed up here, in India." she said. Thomas chuckled.

"Imagine my glee when I knew I would be coming here. The second I was on the rails, I immediately sought you out. I was _ecstatic_ to see you again." he said, nuzzling Ashima.

The two engines shared each others embrace the entire night, silently enjoying small kisses and nuzzles of affection.

But, unknown to them, another engine sat at the opposite end of the yard, silently watching them.

"So... Thomas wants to be a prince too. Sorry Thomas, but... there can only be one." Rajiv said, scowling at the two engines. Suddenly, a low rumbling of an engine was heard, and Noor Jehan pulled up alongside him.

"Oh, pipe down Rajiv. Can't you see they're enjoying their moment? Besides, Thomas is only a Prince to Ashima. Just like you're a Prince to me." she said, nuzzling the small steam locomotive. Rajiv blushed.

"Y-Yes, Noor. I suppose so." he said.

At each end of the yard, a couple enjoyed their night together, tired from a hard days work.

* * *

Goofy but sweet little story based on a comic drawn by _MaddGirlz3761_ over on DeviantART. Both the coverart and the original story idea belong to her.


End file.
